The Best Kind of Gift

Today's Torah Portion is Terumah תְּרוּמָה (Love Offering), based on Exodus 25:1-27:19. In it, we have the description of what I consider one of the greatest miracles in all of scripture. It isn't the resurrection of the dead, or some amazing physical feat by God. It isn't the creation of something out of nothing nor the restoration of a broken relationship. The greatest miracle happens when we see our LORD so clearly that we voluntarily give away what most consider our greatest possessions: treasures or physical wealth. The pastor from my youth, who also happens to be my uncle through marriage, Pastor Abraham de Almeida, used to say this joke often, "the last thing to convert to Christianity is a believer's pocket". What he meant was that the final step and true fruit of salvation in a Christian's life is manifested when they give away their money willingly. As a Deacon of his church in my youth, I saw this first hand. I was one of the people responsible for the collection plates every Sunday evening, and for that reason I collected the envelopes from all members we used to accomplish this procedure. We would gather up in a backroom and tallied the collection for that week's offering and registered who gave and how much based the list of church members. From what I witnessed during those years, only about 30% of all professing Christians and church members were faithful in their thites and offerings. An ancient problem based on the evidence of this verse in Malachi:

"'Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings.'" Malachi 3:8

Let me make that more clear to you. Only 3 out 10 of the church members, who not only attend weekly, but are registered members of that church (I can't speak for all churches, but would be willing to bet that the average is correct) gave the bare minimum requirement commanded by God for the operation of His church on earth. That is such a small percentage that it is hard to put into words because commited members of the body of Christ is also a lower percentage of the entire group who profess to know and follow Christ. Meaning that out of 100 professing believers, only about half are church attendees who have made a commitment to a local church, and out of those 50 members only 30 percent tithe. Tithing is one of the biggest challenges a believer faces and overcoming that battle may be one of the greatest experiences and acts of freedom they will accomplish in their lifetime. It means that you have arrived at a point in your life where you understand that nothing truly belongs to you and that your heavenly Father is the provider of all your needs in this earthly life. It is the point when we, individually and collectively, understand that in this physical realm, the only thing we can give a God who created and owns everything is our heart. That includes our trust in who He is and what He has promised us:

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

With that context and that understanding I can now show you the greatest miracle in all of the Bible, based on the following verse:

"Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: 'No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.' And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work." Exodus 36:6-7

What you treasure dictates what you value in this life. May God and people be our most valuable treasures.

Yes, I realize the verse belongs to a future portion, but the miracle began here, in this week's portion that is properly titled, Terumah. An offering that the people are not commanded to give. It is what we call today, a love offering. It isn't an offering to pay for sins or an offering to fulfil a command, but an offering to express you gratidude and love towards God. There is no prescribed amount or any given reason to bring it. It is completely up to us to decide what we want to give and why. It was this type of offering that built the tabernacle and according to Moses, the people were in such unison and so filled with gratitude that they had to be commanded to not give anymore. In my opinion, this is the greatest miracle. One we hope to witness again someday. Could you imagine what we, as the body of Christ, could accomplish today if we had that same spirit and attitude? We would potentially solve all of the world's modern troubles in one fell swoop. End world hunger, poverty and potentially other social woes by giving so freely that there will be enough to get things done with left overs. I believe this will happen, but it will take Christ's return to trigger this event again. I believe with all my heart that His kingdom on earth will be established this way. Not by miracles where food, water, and our needs show up like they do in Harry Potter, but through Christ's leadership and our willingness to work under His guidance. If He were to just accomplish it by miracles, it wouldn't be as impressive in my opinion, after all, by God's own admission:

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27 echoed by Jesus in the New Testament when He said, "'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26b

Miraculous feats is not something that impresses me from an all power God. Moving people's hearts and will because of His generosity and majesty is. Causing selfish beings to change, trust and be thankful to the point of full devotion is a much greater miracle. The miracle we can see manifest, even if at a lower scale, when we fulfill Christ's command about what we treasure when He said:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Have a blessed week beloved church. My challenge to you this week is to think of a way to give something to God volunterily. Give Him a Terumah of your choice. Do something not out of obligation or to fulfill a command, but give Him the best kind of gift you can give: a Terumah. Shalom Ve'Shavuah Tov!